This season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions for the New York Islanders. From firing Head Coach Lane Lambert; to losing Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and others to the Long Term Injured Reserve (LTIR) at times; to the league-leading 12 overtime/shootout losses — the team has not made it easy on the fanbase and unfortunately sits just seventh in the Metropolitan Division in points percentage.
Evaluating What Has Gone Wrong With the Islanders
When a team has the majority of its core on long-term deals that contain no-trade clauses, it is easy for the players to get complacent. After reaching the 2020 and 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, the organization was poised to continue its drive for a fifth Stanley Cup. However, the past few seasons have been filled with disappointment and frustration. In a season where the team is getting elite production from top-end talent, the depth has gone silent.
Outside of Mat Barzal, Bo Horvat, Brock Nelson, and Noah Dobson, most other players are having down years. Recently-extended Scott Mayfield and Pierre Engvall are having arguably the worst seasons of their careers, and key forwards Anders Lee, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Casey Cizikas, and others have been underwhelming as well.
On the defensive side, Noah Dobson and Alexander Romanov have been forced to step up big. While they have both done a great job, it is unsustainable to play each of them nearly 23 and 26 minutes a night, respectively. With Pulock being activated off of the LTIR ahead of Monday’s (Feb. 5) matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs, expect the load on Dobson’s back to be lightened.
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In net, Ilya Sorokin has been disappointing, but it is hard to blame him for the team’s lack of success. He sits second in the league in expected goals against, according to Moneypuck. As well, he has done this in six fewer games than league leader Alexandar Georgiev, whom he trails by close to 10 expected goals. Playing at around league average with 0.2 goals saved above expected (GSAx), he has done what he is expected to. Unfortunately for the team, he is not standing on his head night in and night out like he has all his career. So, how can the team turn things around?
Creating Quickest Path to a Stanley Cup
There is no doubt what this team is capable of, but the question is now how do they get back to being contenders? It started with a coaching change, and soon will be heading into the locker room. All of the no-trade clauses will make it difficult, but it is hard to imagine this roster will be similar come the fall. Players such as Kyle Palmieri, Lee, Nelson, Cizikas, and Pageau will be prime trade candidates this summer, as well as Semyon Varlamov if he is looking to play elsewhere.
The recent long-term signings of Engvall and Mayfield make it hard to imagine they will suit up elsewhere next season, but both have been disappointing this season, which may cause them to want out. While the team will most certainly not move on from all of the players mentioned, they likely will be exploring their options with many of them.
Unfortunately for the Islanders, the team’s prospect pool is shallow. There are no blue-chip prospects, but there are a handful of prospects expected to push for NHL roster spots soon, such as William Dufour, Alex Jefferies, Matthew Maggio, Calle Odelius, and Ruslan Iskhakov. If the organization hopes to find success in the future, it needs to give them opportunities to succeed. The team’s most recent first-round pick, Simon Holmstrom, is breaking out in his sophomore campaign, posting 12 goals in 48 games thus far. The 22-year-old’s success should prove to management that it takes time to see results, and providing true opportunities to its youth will pay dividends in the future.
In the end, it is easy to play armchair general manager, coming up with crazy ideas on how to help the team get better. The truth for the Islanders is that the team just has not played as well as they are capable of. This core has found success in the past and knows what it takes to get deep in the playoffs. For fans, it may be hard to hold onto optimism right now, but a strong stretch of games down the stretch is all it will take to change the narrative around this current roster.